Quadriceps setting (also known as quad sets) is an exercise for building and maintaining the strength of quadriceps which is essential for people with knee problems or after a knee surgery. Traditionally patients do quad sets by lying down or sitting on a surface with the problematic leg as straight as possible, then gently pushing the knee into the surface by tightening the thigh muscles (quadriceps), and holding the muscle contraction for a certain period of time.
This isometric contraction in quad sets can be painful and boring, and many patients tend to avoid reaching the knee's end range of motion if they anticipate pain. In addition, strengthening quadriceps by simply pushing the knee down and contracting quadriceps is a slow process. Therapists sometimes suggest placing a small towel roll under a patient's knee as a support as well as a marker of end range. But towel rolls do not provide a controlled resistance and tactile feedback to the patient that are consistent from one towel roll to another. Neither do towel rolls allow the patient to achieve full knee extension.
It is thus desirous to have a training tool for dynamic quad set that starts with a concentric contraction of the quadriceps and provides tactile feedback to a patient.
It also desirous that the training tool provides strengthening throughout the range as well as increased activation of the quadriceps at end range due to the tactile feedback.